Parents sue NJ school alleging students were bound

A group of parents who claim their children were tied, gagged and photographed by custodians in the bathroom of their New Jersey middle school have filed a $30 million federal lawsuit.

The Asbury Park Press reports that parents of three of the four alleged victims filed suit against the Long Branch Public Schools, the Long Branch Board of Education, the Gregory Middle School and two former district custodians allegedly involved in the incident.

School officials declined to comment on the lawsuit. The newspaper says the suit is claiming that school officials downplayed the incident as "a joke gone bad," and failed to respond appropriately.

The suit claims the children entered a school bathroom on March 1 and had their hands tied and their mouths taped by custodians.